Chris Weidman Opens Up on Second Showdown with Anderson Silva, Being Bullied, Life as Champion, and More

What was Weidman’s life like as a youth?

“I grew up in a decently tough neighborhood. I grew up getting bullied and fighting a lot. My brother was probably one of the toughest kids from my neighborhood and he didn't make it easy on me. He made sure I was getting beat up as much as possible growing up. If he wasn't beating me up, he was making his friends beat me up. He threw a 10 pound weight on my head because I wouldn't get him a cookie. Split my forehead open pretty good." (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

In hindsight, how does he think his experiences with bullying affected his life?

“I think any type of setback you have, any tough time you've got, getting through it is what makes you who you are. It makes you a tougher person. I think whatever you've been through in your life makes you a tougher person. I'm very grateful for the background I have, every tough situation I've been through because it's made me who I am." (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

What has been the most positive thing to come out of winning the title?

“My life has changed in a lot of ways. I’d say that the biggest change is that my house was completely devastated by Hurricane Sandy and that fight allowed me to buy a new house in a better neighborhood. I live with my family by ourselves without other family members, so it’s been a big blessing in that way. On the other hand, I’m more popular (and) more people recognize me.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

How did Weidman get into Mixed Martial Arts?

“The first time I remember really watching MMA and getting a little understanding of what it was, that I’d be interested in it, was watching Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar on the Ultimate Fighter Finale. I watched a little bit of the show but I was so focused on wrestling at the time that it was my main thing. But when I started watching that, I was like, ‘Wow, that was pretty cool,’ and when I saw that fight I’m like, ‘Holy smokes! These guys are tough.’ And I thought I was tough, and I was like, ‘These guys look tougher than me.’ So I wanted to go prove I could be that tough, so that’s when I started getting it in my head that this was something I could do.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

Weidman has one specific goal going into his rematch with Silva:

“The rematch with Anderson Silva, in my mind, is just a fight against myself. It’s just like every one of my fights. This fight in particular, there’s a lot of naysayers out there and a lot of doubters, just like a lot of my other fights. But this one, I really just want to go out there and shine. I want to separate myself in skill from every other fighter in the middleweight division. I want to put on a show in this fight where anybody who is watching knows he deserves to be champion and he’s better than anybody else in the division. So that’s really my goal – just to separate myself from everybody else and let everybody know that I’m gonna be here for a long time and I’m not giving up that belt easily.” (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman did the unthinkable earlier this year by not only beating Anderson Silva but finishing the former title-holder before the bout’s midway point had even arrived. The victory cemented his status as one of the brightest young stars to come along in some time and showed a level of skill above that possessed by his peers. As such, it’s hard to believe Weidman was a victim of vicious bullying with an older brother often serving as ringleader. The 29-year old recently sat down with Bobby Razak to speak about his journey to the top, reflecting on how the adversity helped mold him into a man while also touching on how his life had changed since winning the belt and what he’s using for motivating entering his December 28 tilt with Silva at UFC 168.